"In 1Timothy 2: 5&6 we read, 'For there is one God, and one Mediator of God and mankind, a man, Christ Jesus, Who is giving Himself a correspondent Ransom for all (the testimony in its own eras).' This scripture defines the purpose of God through the name Jesus. Thus God exalts His Son, so at the name of Jesus, the name which means that He is salvation, 'every knee shall be bowing and every tongue shall be acclaiming that Jesus Christ is Lord.' Philippians 2:9-11.

The name of Jesus must not be held in contempt. It must be exalted. How could those who bow the knee and acknowledge Him as Lord ever thus dishonor the name of Jesus, which they would be doing if they were lost? It was Jesus who died to save them as He gave His life a correspondent ransom for all. God will exalt that precious name as He transports us all into the kingdom of the Son of His love."

In his book UNION, Relly presents scriptural texts for the view that universal salvation is assured. He argues that Jesus Christ's union with all human beings, and His assumption of their guilt for their sins ensures that the entire human race will be saved.He further argues that faith is the result, not the cause, of experiencing the saving power of God.

He wrote, "Man, being the vessel marred between the Potter's hands is not rejected, but made into another and better vessel (Jeremiah 18:2).

In the memoir of the author it is written, "He found no quietude, until, by a candid and prayerful examination of the Bible, he became fully satisfied that 'God will have all men to be saved,' and that 'He doeth according to His will.' His change of opinion was soon noised abroad, and produced a great disaffection in many of his former friends.

Here is a snippet from the book."The reason why I do not conceive that "forever and ever" doth intend endless duration is because I find the words as often used for times and periods that must have an end, as you find them used for the misery of the wicked. You bring three passages which are all that are to be found in the whole Bible where they are used in that sense; I shall now invalidate those evidences for endless damnation by bringing an equal number of texts where you will allow the words are used in a limited sense. Is. 30:8; Jer. 7:7; Jer. 35:5.These passages are as many and as strongly expressed as those which you brought to prove endless misery; and yet nothing can be more evident than that they cannot intend endless duration. The words do not necessarily imply that the wicked shall never be delivered from their sins and consequent suffering.

Now if the words "forever and ever" signify without end, then there is a contradiction that cannot be reconciled, but only understand them as the ages of the ages, (as indeed they ought to be rendered), and the whole difficulty vanishes at once."

"The main point which we seek to impress upon our readers is to accept God's declaration that, for those who are judged before the great white throne, the lake of fire is the second death, not a second lifetime.

While the 'injury' (literal translation) sustained by those who are cast into the lake if fire (in Revelation 20:14,15) will be fatal (since to these the lake of fire is the second death), it will not be permanent. We may be certain that this is the case, for, at the consummation, death will be abolished and all will be vivified, that God may be All in all. God is the Saviour of all mankind, and this includes all who enter the second death."

"From the beginning God was and always will be a God of all grace. He purposes to be All in all of His creation; but every man in his own foreordained and previously marked out order. No doctrine is of God that does not include, 'Having made known to us the secret of His will, according to His own benevolent design, which He previously purposed in Himself: that in the fullness of the ages He will gather together in one all in Christ, both those who are in the heavens and those who are on earth, even in Him.'

It is wrong to teach that this age of grace will soon end. In our redeemed bodies we will be righteous, and in the ages to come we will be teaching the grace of God to others."

"Christian tradition overlooks a key text that clearly quantifies the meaning of aion.In 1Corinthians 15:24, Paul tells us that Jesus will be giving up the kingdom to His God and Father. That's not an eternal reign in any possible context. The clear statement that Christ 'gives up' the kingdom defines what the Greek noun aion must mean. Jesus is God's mediator with mankind Who reigns only until He gets the job done. That job is winning our conciliation with God.

Paul referred to Jesus as the eonian, not eternal God, and gave Jesus reign over specific time periods leading up to the conclusion of His reign. Clearly there is a progression of eons that have beginnings and endings. All eons end when Christ's reign ends, after which what is eternal begins."

"Col. 1: 16-20 teaches us the extent of the reconciliation made by Christ, namely, that it extends itself over the whole creation. Therefore the fallen angels must also necessarily have their share in it, for they do incontestably belong to the invisible things created by Christ, and consequently to all things including the things in the heavens.

'Jehovah is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works.' Psalm 145:9In this passage we are plainly told that the mercy of God, or His tender love, does not only extend itself to men, but universally towards all creatures that have their being and stand in need of mercy; and consequently also towards the fallen angels; which tender love of God must necessarily at last effect or bring about the restoration of all corrupt creatures, for it is not a weak or faint, but an almighty love."

The following is my all-time favorite quote. I've had it memorized for many years and I quote it frequently. As a staunch universalist, Leslie Weatherhead meant it to include everyone without exception, after everyone who needs it experiences kolasis aionion, or age-during corrective punishment.

"God's purposes are so vast and glorious, beyond all guessing now, that when they are achieved and consummated, all our sufferings and sorrows of today, even the agonies that nearly break our faith, the disasters that well nigh overwhelm us, shall, seen from that fair country where God's age long dreams come true, bulk as little as bulk now the pieces of a broken toy upon a nursery floor, over which, thinking that all our little world was in ruins, we cried ourselves to sleep."Dr. Leslie Weatherhead

Confident UR Christian

"God's purposes are so vast and glorious, beyond all guessing now, that when they are achieved and consummated, all our sufferings and sorrows of today, even the agonies that nearly break our faith, the disasters that well nigh overwhelm us, shall, seen from that fair country where God's age long dreams come true, bulk as little as bulk now the pieces of a broken toy upon a nursery floor, over which, thinking that all our little world was in ruins, we cried ourselves to sleep."Dr. Leslie Weatherhead

Wow! That's an excellent way of thinking about it, and I would say that this quote is even in itself an exaggeration, since the troubles of this world will seem infinitesimally small in the context of eternity, that they will eventually be barely recognisable - much less even than a broken toy! :)

Thanks also for making the effort to put these snippets on this (and the evangelical universalist) site! :)

"Modern theology has so long circumvented our thinking and teaching to the biased idea that God will save only part of His creation and so limited His redemptive powers that we have forgotten that with God all things are possible and shall be wrought out in due time. God has a definite schedule for saving His creatures, and there is nothing that can withstand His purpose.

Sin was allowed for wise ends, and only after these have been secured will sin cease to exist. It is all a part of God's purpose of the ages and redemption's glory will only shine out the more after the plan's execution. God never allows sin to go beyond His transforming power. God always has everything under perfect control."

" 'And we have seen and to testify that the Father sent the Son to be THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD." 1John 4:14. 'Who will have ALL MEN to be saved, and to come into a knowledge of the truth' 1Tim. 2:4.

This is not a pitting of man's will against the will of God as some try to teach, with man's will able to resist and hold out until God cannot change him, but must throw him into some eternal cesspool to be tormented. NAY – for we read that 'He is working out all things after the counsel of His own will,' and man cannot disannul that which HE has willed. It is God's will that all shall come to Christ. He is the propitiation for the sins of the WHOLE WORLD. Why then shall we be so foolish as to dispute the immutability of His truth?"

"God is sovereign, and He controls all the interaction of evil and good, and causes all to redound to His own glory. It is not – what was lost by the fall was to be regained by redemption, BUT by the interaction of FALL AND REDEMPTION, God achieves greater, wiser, nobler, and higher goals than by the Adamic race remaining in its pristine state.

Evil and good are synchronized to accomplish God's will and purpose, so that the ultimate goal shall reveal all evil transformed back into good, and all negation cancelled out by GOOD. Evil is allowed for wise ends, and when these are secured it must cease to exist, for God will restore all things into good. HE controls all the interaction between evil and good until His purpose of the ages is fulfilled. Then shall God be All in all."

"We would not minimize the judgments of God, but the more the spirit of revelation unfolds the truth, the more we see God's judgments in proper perspective, that they are remedial, corrective in their nature and used to bring forth a state of righteousness. They shall not be executed in unholy vengeance, for MERCY shall balance the score. God's judgments are ever tempered with mercy, and when they have fulfilled their purpose, the judgments end. Mercy will outlast all the judgments, and will rejoice in the ultimate restoration of all that was perverted, corrupt, and evil.

Mercy can operate on the basis of justice because Christ has gathered the whole into His own heart, and suffered to reconcile all to Himself."

"Today every warden in the U.S. endorses the ideal of rehabilitation. Shall we say then that God is less reasonable than His creatures? No! God's punishments exist not for vindictive suffering, but rather for remedy! Praise His Holy Name!

God works with a glorious end in view. We have viewed the judgments of God against sin and unrighteousness as the end, when in reality they are only a means to an end. The revelation of scriptural truth does not view God's judgments in the ages to come as vindictive, as if to say that God is vengeful, implacable, and hateful against men (as all too often those who profess His Name appear to be!), This insight into God's purposes in judgment rather declares that these judgments are remedial, that they exist to effect a positive divine end for everyone.

Christ died "to reconcile all unto Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross" Colossians 1:20. The all saving Cross of Christ will never give up its redeeming power till sin and sinner have no more a name among the creatures of God."

"God says He will reconcile all; the whole creation shall ultimately be delivered, and every created thing shall finally praise God (Revelation 5:13).

The point that I wish the reader especially to note is that the final accomplishment of this purpose of God depends on Himself, and not on man. The creature may fail, the Creator never fails; and no amount of blunders, mistakes, failures or perversions of the creature shall disarrange or thwart the plans of the Creator. This is the true basis of redemption."

#50 - THE SAVIOUR OF ALL MANKIND - JOSEPH KIRK, WILLIAM C. REBMANN, DEAN HOUGH, AND JAMES CORAM

"To know the true and living God 'out of Whom all is' 1Cor. 8:6, is to recognize that His purpose for His creatures can only be loving, wise, righteous, and good.To know Jesus Christ, 'through Whom all is' 1Cor. 8:8, is to know that God's purpose cannot fail Shall we who know Him and have had ours eyes opened to the glorious triumph of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ sit idly by and let reproach be heaped upon His Name without protesting?

Think how the teaching of endless punishment slanders God and Jesus Christ! We know Christ died for all (1Tim. 2:6). Does God lack the goodness, the power, the love, the grace to save all? God declares that judgment is eonian; man says it is everlasting. Let us believe God and not man."Joseph Kirk

"Regarding the argument that if the punishment of the unbelievers has an end, then the life of the believers has an end also at the end of the ages.

But life cannot end at that time because death is abolished (1Cor. 15:26). The life of the eons ends when all are vivified at the end or consummation of the eons (1Cor. 15:24).Life itself, however, continues on interminably."

"Regarding the argument that in 2Cor. 4:18 eonian must mean eternal because it is set in contrast with the word temporal meaning enduring for time as opposed to eternity.

But the Greek word translated temporal has no connection with the word for time; it is literally 'toward season,' and means temporary or for the era. In this passage eonian is used in contrast between our afflictions which last for a brief season, and our promised long enduring eonian glory, which lasts until all opens out into the glorious consummation when God become All in all."William C. Rebman

"What was done cannot be undone. The work of God and the obedience of Christ on Golgotha is not something conditional on whether or not we believe it or respond to it or prepare ourselves for it. It has already happened, and its effects are unstoppable. The consequence of the obedience of Christ is that every descendant of Adam will be constituted righteous. When Christ died, God was there in Him conciliating the world to Himself, not reckoning their offences to them (2Cor. 5:19). Peace is not made by us; it is made by God in the death of His Son. And now God is entreating through us that this peace might be recognized and enjoyed (2Cor. 5:20)."Dean Hough

"The use of 'forever and ever' instead of the accurate rendering 'for the eons of the eons,' is a gross mistranslation. Most translators simply lacked the insight to see the point of many of the passages that speak of the eons. Since they were able, however, to make sense of these passages by translating by 'everlasting' or 'eternal,' they simply went ahead and did so, any resultant problems notwithstanding. Due to a lack of sensible thinking it was impossible for them to face the fact that the usual translations of this word are quite mistaken and extremely harmful!"James Coram

By way of introduction Knoch wrote"In this little handbook we tear away the false traditions of Christendom first. Then we remove the dark cover which philosophical mistranslations have laid over God's Book. With these gone all that is necessary is to read God's message to us more carefully, and its overwhelmingly glorious solution of this vexed problem illuminates our minds and flood our hearts with exultant joy and praise and adoration to the God of all grace and glory."

Then, by way of conclusion at the end of His book Knoch wrote"We have considered the traditions of Christendom which darken this subject and found them unscriptural. My love to God and my admiration have increased unutterably since I have seen that He is not the defeated fiend of Christendom, but is fully able to cope with evil and sin, and bind them all to the chariot wheels of love. All His attributes, including holiness, and righteousness, serve in the livery of love. Adored be His Name!"

#55 - CREATION, REDMPTION AND THE RESTITUTION OF ALL THINGS – GEORGE R. HAWTIN

"Before the last age is over, every knee in heaven and in earth and under the earth will have bowed to Christ, and every tongue will have confessed to God that He is Lord to the glory of God (Phil. 2:10). 'In the name of Jesus' (literal translation) signifies much more than is implied by the simple use of the Name in speech. According to the idiom it signifies 'in the very nature of Jesus,' and as no man can say that Jesus is Lord but by the Holy Spirit (1Cor. 12:3), we know that there will be no hypocritical confession, nor will there be any confession by compulsion, but a true confession of Christ by every creature in the universe, and that to the glory of God the Father."